1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a hand strap for use by a patient to hold a control used to operate a patient controlled analgesia (PCA) pump. A PCA pump is a device that is used to allow a patient to self-administer pain medicine, and is often used by post-operative patients or individuals who suffer from chronic pain. The pump is typically attached to an intravenous (IV) line that is inserted into a suitable vein. The purpose of a PCA pump is to allow a patient to manage their own pain control by self-administering regular doses of medicine, while preventing such a patient from self-administering an overdose of medicine. The PCA pump is generally programmed to administer a prescribed amount of medicine during a specific period of time. The PCA pump control allows the patient to have access to an allotment of pain medicine that is made available periodically, while preventing the possibility of overdose. The patient may access a portion of, or all of, each periodic allotment by manually operating the PCA pump control. The use of a PCA pump typically requires the patient to hold a PCA pump control in their hand, and to then depress a button to start the flow of pain medication. The difficulty with most PCA pump controls is that the patient needs to either hold the control for long periods of time, or be able to easily find the PCA pump control when a dose of medicine is desired.
For some patients, reduced mobility of the limbs and hands can make it extremely difficult to easily grasp the PCA pump control or hold the control for long periods of time. Such reduced mobility may be due to a post-operative condition, or may be a chronic condition due to illness, disease, or aging. If the pump control is not readily and easily accessible, it can be difficult or impossible for some patients to use the pump control, which defeats the purpose of a PCA pump. Not having ready access to pain medicine when needed may significantly slow or impede patient recovery, resulting in longer hospital stays and increased health care costs.
While there are prior art solutions for keeping the control close at hand, the majority of such solutions involve keeping the pump control within reach, but not necessarily close at hand. A need exists for improvement in the field of devices for keeping a PCA pump control at hand and to address the shortcomings of the prior art. This and other needs are addressed by one or more aspects of the present invention.
2. Description of Related Art
The most common type of PCA pump control is a hand grip with a push button, with the hand grip attached to the end of a cord. The preferred type of hand grip is shaped in a manner to fit the palm of a patient's hand, allowing a patient to use the PCA pump control with minimal effort. In some instances, a patient may be too weak to hold a hand grip for any length of time, or the patient may be unable to move adequately to grab the hand grip if it falls from their hand. The most common means for keeping a PCA control device readily available to a patient is to affix a strap or clip to the cord of a PCA pump control device. In the case of a strap, the PCA pump control cord may be strapped to a bedside rail or similar article. In the case of a clip, the clip is attached to the PCA pump control cord, which is then clipped to the patient's bedclothes, bedding or other article. In either case, the attachment means helps to keep the PCA pump control within easy reach, but not necessarily at hand. A patient may be able to locate the PCA pump control when needed, or may be too weak or too immobilized to reach or hold the PCA pump control when needed. Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to create a device for keeping a PCA pump control close at hand.